Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 20) — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday signed into law the ₱5.768 trillion government budget for the upcoming year.
The 2024 General Appropriations Bill was ratified in a ceremonial signing in Malacañang, a little over a week after Congress greenlighted the reconciled version of the proposed budget.
Next year’s budget is 9.5% higher than this year’s.
In his speech after the signing, Marcos warned fellow workers in government against red tape, as well as underspending and overspending, as he urged them to spend taxpayers’ money “the right way [and] on time.”
“Implementation delay and illegal deviations inflict the same havoc of denying the people of the progress and development that they deserve,” he said.
The president also tempered expectations, saying that while the budget details his administration’s “battle plan” for next year, initiatives and projects are still limited by the funds available in public coffers.
“We can be reckless, take the easy path, borrow, let our children pick today’s tab up tomorrow,” Marcos said. “But debt is not the kind of inheritance that we want to leave those who will come after us. Good fiscal stewardship imposes upon us discipline not to be led into temptation of bloating what we owe.”
The 2024 budget does not include confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) for civilian agencies, including the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Office of the Vice President (OVP).
The requested CIF of the Sara Duterte-led offices was realigned to agencies focused on national security to boost defense, particularly in the West Philippine Sea amid escalating tensions with China.
The reallocation of the combined ₱650-million confidential funds fueled rumors of a rift between Duterte and Marcos. The vice president has since withdrawn her request for the CIF and believes she still has the trust of the president.
Meanwhile, Marcos has declared that the issue of the non-inclusion of Duterte’s CIF is already \”settled.\”
‘Best budget’ in years?
For Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, the 2024 budget is \”the best budget we have seen in years.\”
Zubiri said he believes it has a \”good balance\” of social services, infrastructure development, and defense and security.
In a separate statement, House Speaker Martin Romualdez said nearly ₱500 billion has been allocated for the social amelioration program or \” ayuda\” for at least 12 million poor and low-income families.
Of this amount, he said ₱60 billion is for a new government initiative to help the \”near-poor\” or families earning up to ₱23,000 a month by giving them a one-time cash aid of ₱5,000.
Zubiri, meanwhile, noted the increase in funding for the Philippine Coast Guard in the wake of fresh tensions with China in the West Philippine Sea.
Romualdez also said Congress set aside ₱1.5 billion for the development and expansion of the airport on Pag-asa Island in the disputed waters. He added that an extra ₱800 million has been allocated for the construction of a shelter port for fishermen and boats in Lawak, Palawan, an island near Ayungin Shoal.
House Deputy Minority Leader Rep. France Castro also welcomed some changes in the signed budget.
She cited in particular the realignment of confidential funds and the lower funding for the Barangay Development Program of the state’s controversial anti-communist task force.
However, she also raised some criticisms, including what she described as a questionable move to exempt from the Government Procurement Act purchases made in connection with the revised modernization program for the Armed Forces of the Philippines. This, she said, raises risks of corruption.
Castro also questioned the power given to the president to allow CIF for civilian agencies with no mandate to perform security and intelligence-related functions, if the president finds an \”extreme necessity\” for it.
\”Naghain ang Makabayan Bloc ng petisyon sa Supreme Court para ideklarang unconstitutional ang paghingi, pagtanggap at paggamit ng P125 million confidential fund ng OVP noong 2022, kasama ang pag-apruba nito ni Pangulong Marcos Jr., pero ang ginawang amyenda ng bicam ay kabaliktaran nito,\” Castro said.
[Translation: The Makabayan Bloc filed a petition asking the Supreme Court to declare as unconstitutional the P125 million confidential fund requested, given to, and used by the OVP in 2022, as well as President Marcos’ approval of this, but the amendment made by the bicam runs contrary to this.]
